Shoe.



No. 774,784. PATENTED NOV: l5, 1904.

A. C. ROUNDS.

SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED EB. 15.1399. N0 HODEL.

'7755165565: lvzvefzz: MKM jy am m Kfm/WA wys' UNITED STATES ALBERT O.ROUNDS, OF BUFFALO, NEW

Patented November 15,` 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,784, dated NovemberApplication flied February l5, 1899. Serial No. 705,565.

T0 a/ZZ whom, 7115 77u07/ 00u/cern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT O. RoUNDs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county 0f Erie and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Shoes, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates more particularly to that class of shoes in whicha cushion is arranged on top of the insole, so as to render the samemore suitable for tender feet.

The object of this invention is to provide a shoe of this character withmeans whereby water is eectually excluded from the cushion and wherebythe edge of the insole is prevented from cutting the covering of thecushion.

To that end the invention consists in interposing a strip of rubber orother elastic waterproof material between the edge of the insole and theedge of the cushion-covering.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional perspective viewof the toe portion of a cushioned-insole shoe, showing the elastic stripinterposed between the edges of the cushion-covering and the insole.Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the elastic strip. Fig. 3is a cross-section of the prepared insole. Fig. 4 is a similarviewshowing the elastic strip and cushion applied to the insole. Fig. 5 is asimilar view showing the vamp and welt secured to the cushion andinsole. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the complete shoe.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the walking or out sole of a shoe; B, the insole; C, theupper or vamp, and D the welt.

The insole is provided in its edge with a longitudinal slit formingupper and lower flanges on the edge ofthe insole. The upper iiange Z) isleft in a horizontal or outwardly-projecting position, while the lowerflange is bent downwardly into a vertical position substantially atright angles to the upper flange Z1, as shown in Fig. 3, forming arabbet along the edge of the insole. The insole is provided on its underside along the (No model.)

inner side of the lower iange with a channel or slit e, which extendsupwardly and outwardly from the lower side of the insole.

F represents an elastic strip or dam of rubber or similar material,which in cross-section is preferably made substantially in the shape ofthe letter Z and which consists of a horizontal web f, a vertical ribf', extending upwardly from the outer edge of the web, and a verticalrib f2, depending from the inner edge of the web, as shown in Fig. 2.This elastic strip, as shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 6, is cemented orotherwise secured to the edge of the insole with its web f bearingagainst the under side of the upper Hange of the insole and with itsupper and lower ribs f f2 bearing against the outer edge of the upperinsole-flange and the outer side of the lower insole-flangerespectively.

A cushion is arranged on the upper side of `Athe insole, so as to renderthe same comfortable when worn by persons having tender or callous feet.This cushion is made of a pad or filling G, of wool or fibrous material,which covers the upper surface of the insole and is secured thereto bycement or otherwise, and a covering g, of soft leather or similarmaterial, arranged on top of the pad. The covering, which is madeintegral, is larger than the pad, and its edge is lapped downwardly andinwardly against the elastic strip, to which latter 1t is secured bycement, so that the lap of the covering conforms to and hassubstantially the same angular form as the strip, as shown in thedrawings.

The vamp C is lapped with its edge against the outer side of themarginal portion of the cushion-covering, and the weltis placed with itsinner downwardly projecting portion against the edge of the vamp. Theinsole, elastic strip, cushion covering, vamp, and Welt are securedtogether by aline of thread stitches L, which extend from the inner endof the channel c through the lower flanges of the insole and the stripand the adjacent edges of the cushion-covering, vamp, and welt, as shownin Figs. l, 5, and 6. The outsole is secured to the welt by a row ofstitches e', extending along the outer edges of the welt and the sole inthe usual well-known manner. As the stitches /L pass through the elasticstrip the material of the latter around the threadopening is spread andcompressed, which causes the strip to exert a constant pressure againstthe thread and hug the latter Very tight all around each stitch of thethread in the strip. This checks any water from passing through thethread-opening in the strip or along the thread in the same, therebypreventing the insole and the cushion resting on the same from gettingwet. This is especially desirable in shoes in which the leather insoleis arranged with its hair or coarse-grained side on top and with theiiesh or iine-grained side on the bottom, because the inner end or' thestitches are close to the top of the insole, and any moisture carriedinwardly by the thread would be readily transmitted by the coarse poresin the top of the insole to the cushion, and so dampen the inside oi'the shoe. Upon sewing the insole, elastic strip, cushion-covering, vamp,and welt together by the stitches /b the elastic strip is compressed[iatwise to such an extent that it exerts a constant lateral pressure,thereby causing the parts through which the stitches pass to beconstantly pressed close together and preventing any water from reachingthe stitches, whereby the liability of dampening the bottom of the shoeis reduced to a minimum and the rotting of the stitches is prevented.

It has been found in practice that when the lower portion of the softvamp works or chates against the edge of the hard insole the vamp isfrequently broken, cracked, or cut along the line of contact anddestroys the shoe. By extending the elastic strip up- Wardly so that itis interposed between the edge of the insole and the adjacent part ofthe vamp breaking, cracking, or cutting oi' the vamp is prevented,because the elastic strip forms a yielding surface or cushion on theedge of the insole for the vamp to bear against.

1t will be seen that the elastic dam or strip not only serves to excludemoisture from the bottom of the shoe, but also renders thesame moredurable by avoiding undue wear upon the vamp.

I claim as my invention- The combination of an insole provided with arabbeted edge forming an overhanging iange thereon which has adownwardly-facing shoulder, a Z-shaped rubber strip fitted into saidrabbet so that its central web bears against said shoulder While itsside webs bear against the adjacent edges of the insole, a cushionarranged on the insole, a covering arranged over the cushion and having'its edges turned downwardly against the outer side of said rubber strip,a vamp applied to said covering, a welt applied to said vamp, and asingle line of stitches connecting theinsole, strip, covering, vamp andwelt, said strip serving the double function of producing a waterproofjoint which prevents dampening of the cushion and also forming anelastic bearing for the marginal portion of the insole, substantially asset forth.

Witness my hand this 7th day of February,

ALBERT C. ROUNDS. Witnesses:

NUOV SoHAUnoTH, THEO. L. Pori).

